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The £135m star who wants to play with Rooney, but not at United

Chelsea could lose out on one of their primary summer targets as rumours of a PSG switch excite star striker.

Outspoken Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the most expensive footballer of all time in terms of cumulative transfer fees at a total of £134.3m, has urged Wayne Rooney to join him on the roster of Paris Saint Germain's star-studded squad.

Having completed 388 minutes of Premier League action in the current season, Wayne Rooney has returned good form despite Manchester United's undesirable position in the division. With three goals and two assists already in the record books, Rooney has also created nine chances for his team-mates, attempted 212 passes and shown a willingness to retrieve the ball when the opposition are in play.

These are statistics that belie a player whose head was apparently elsewhere throughout the summer, as Rooney was at the centre of two official transfer bids from Chelsea as incoming manager Jose Mourinho sought to enhance his striking department.

One club who could provide strong competition for the player's signature should the one-time Champions League winner become available again in the mid-season market, is PSG, who were alert to the player's situation at Old Trafford over the summer.

It is talk that continues to excite Ibrahimovic, who has called on Rooney to join him in a team that also includes Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani. He is reported to have told The Sun: 'When there was talk of Rooney joining us in Paris it was a prospect that excited me.

'I think he made it clear in the summer that he wanted a fresh challenge - and things have not been going so well for Manchester Unitedthis season. If he still wants to move next summer or in January I would urge him to come and play with me in Paris. The only direction this club is going is up.'

Currently valued at £39.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, should Rooney move to the Ligue 1 champions then he would compete with Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and burgeoning teenage talent Hervin Ongenda for a first-team role.